Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Russell. We do hope that the Grange will become a flagship hospital, because we've spent a considerable amount of money on it; £358 million has been invested in this hospital to support the people of the Gwent area, and I do think that it's important that we remember the context in which it was opened. You must remember that, at the beginning of the pandemic, Gwent was one...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, and I took that report very seriously as well and was extremely concerned when I heard about it first-hand from the Royal College of Physicians when I met Dr Olwen Williams earlier on in the summer. I think we do need to remember the context in which those visits were taking place. We must remember that the Grange was opened ahead of time and that was partly as a result of...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I'm aware of this report and I spoke to the Royal College of Physicians about it when I met them in August. The health board is taking these findings very seriously and has drawn up an action plan to address the recommendations and I very much expect to be kept informed about progress on those actions.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Joyce, and the one thing that I have learnt since being appointed to this role is the absolute interrelationship between health and care. And it is really important that we understand that part of the reason for the fact that we have ambulances lining up at our front door is because we can't get people out through the back door because of the fragility of our care system,...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Gareth. Can I assure you that we are speaking very regularly to representatives from the independent care sector as well? We're very aware of the kind of pressures that they're working under at the moment. I think it probably is worth underlining here once again the fact that, actually, part of the reason for the pressure that we're under at the moment is because so many of...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Vikki, and you're absolutely right that it's really important that we alleviate the pressure on the places that people traditionally go for support, and that's why we have a very active campaign, 'Help Us Help You', which is ongoing at the moment, and of course, that will be able to help people and point people in the direction of community pharmacies and other places where...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, thank you very much, Rhun. One of the reasons why we were eager to ensure that there was an opportunity to give that briefing to some of you this morning was to ensure that you saw or had some kind of idea before half term, because we are aware that some will be away and we didn't want to leave it too long before we had an opportunity to share our ideas with you. And, of course, there...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I think it's really important that there is an understanding that there was always a plan for us to publish this report at a winter learning event, which is going to take place on Thursday, so that we're engaging with the NHS directly. The only way this plan is going to be implemented is if it's really taken up and taken seriously by the NHS and by our care workforce. So, it is important...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Mental health will be central to the support that we will be providing over the winter months. It will remain an essential service, irrespective of the pressures that we are likely to face. In terms of primary care, including GP services, there will be a real focus on respiratory illness, making sure that patients are able to access primary care when they need it. It's important to note that...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Every year, the NHS develops a plan for how it's going to manage with the increased demands over the winter, and this year is no exception. The preparations have been taking place already for many months. We are making this statement today in order to give an opportunity for Senedd Members to discuss our plans before the formal publication of the report on...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr. I think it’s unfair to say that we knew lots about COVID when it arrived. The very fact that we didn’t know for a long time that people could carry COVID and they were asymptomatic—that was something that we learnt much later on, after it had arrived, just as one example of things that we’ve learned. If you read the report that’s come from the House of Commons today,...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Heledd. Can I just make it clear that our NHS services are under intense pressure at the moment? It's not because they are not working hard. They are working incredibly hard, as they have done for 18 months. Frankly, these people are already exhausted. A lot of them are off sick. A lot of them have COVID. So, you have to understand that, every time that that happens, there is...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Huw. Thank you for recognising that, because of the COVID passes, we are hopefully able to keep some of those venues open that may otherwise have faced closure. Certainly what we are very pleased to see is that, actually, there has been a considerable amount of social and behavioural science associated with our whole approach here. We have comprehensive research that has been...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much. I'm not sure which press conference you were listening to, but I can assure you that I was very clear, I made it clear that it was a disease that we'd never seen before, none of us knew how it was going to impact, none of us knew how it was going to spread and none of us knew that you could spread this problem without showing any symptoms. We've been over this ground...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: You heard the First Minister this morning talking about the fact that, actually, we need to wean ourselves off this assumption that you will always see a GP. There are people who are as good, as qualified, who can support us with our health needs who are alternatives to GPs, and we need to understand that. You mentioned very briefly ambulance services. It's impossible for me to go through...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr iawn. Thank you for those questions. On the winter plan, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait for that to be published. So, good try, trying to get some information out of us, but we'll let you know when we're ready to publish that. You've only got a few more days to go. There is considerable pressure on GPs at the moment. That is undoubtedly the case. That's why we've got a...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: On Friday, we published an updated coronavirus control plan, setting out the main ways in which we will keep Wales safe. Essentially, these are: vaccination, test, trace and protect, and continuation of the basic measures that we can all do to protect ourselves. Our advice around testing is not changing. We still ask you take a PCR test if you develop symptoms of COVID-19, and self-isolate if...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you very much for the opportunity to update the Chamber on the COVID situation and our plans to keep Wales safe during a difficult autumn and winter ahead. Now, before I give my update, I'd like to acknowledge World Mental Health Day and thank the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being for her update on progress of our 'Together for Mental...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: These priorities will be supported by our investment of £140 million for recovery and £48 million for social care. I would like to take this opportunity to thank from the bottom of my heart the health and social care staff in all parts of Wales. They have worked tirelessly, with commitment and compassion, to provide services throughout the pandemic. Safeguarding the health and well-being of...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you very much for the debate. I'm afraid I can't go into detail on all of the points that have been raised—many of them very valid ones, I think—over the coming four minutes, but I hope that we will have an opportunity once the winter plan is published over the next couple of weeks.
